***New for 2025***
9/30/24 – The Department of Labor & Industries announced the new statewide minimum wage will be $16.66 starting Jan. 1, 2025.
Seattle and SeaTac will also adjust their minimum wages, which will also take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Those updated wages are typically announced in mid-October. We will update this toolkit once those changes are published.
***
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) makes a cost-of-living adjustment annually to the minimum wage based on the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).
The Washington state minimum wage for 2024 is $16.28 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2024.
The state minimum wage applies to workers aged 16 and older. Under state law, employers can pay 85 percent of the minimum wage to workers ages 14-15. For 2024, the wage for that younger group will be $13.84 per hour. For 2025, the wage for younger workers will be $14.16.
Bellingham
As of May 1, 2024, the current minimum wage in Bellingham is $17.28, which is $1.00 above the Washington State minimum wage for 2024. Further increases in the city minimum wage will be tied to changes to the Washington State minimum wage set under RCW 49.46.
Starting May 1, 2025, the city minimum wage will be set at $2.00 above the applicable Washington State minimum wage.
Every year after, starting in 2026, the city minimum wage will be set at $2.00 above the applicable Washington State minimum wage effective on January 1 every year. The city will establish the city minimum wage within two weeks of the publication of the new state minimum wage. Read more here.
King County
Starting Jan. 1, 2025, employers in unincorporated King County with 500 employees or more will immediately pay $20.29 per hour, plus the annual inflation adjustment. Employers with 16 to 499 employees will pay $2 less than large employers’ minimum wage. This $2 deduction will decrease by $1 annually on Jan. 1 each year.
Employers with 15 or fewer employees with an annual gross revenue of less than $2 million will pay three dollars less than large employers’ minimum wage. This $3 deduction will decrease by $0.50 annually on Jan. 1 each year.
Renton
Starting July 1, employers in the city of Renton must pay a higher minimum wage. Large employers of 500 or more employees worldwide and certain franchises must pay a minimum of $20.29 per hour.
Employers with more than 15 but no more than 500 employees or with no more than $2 million in gross revenue must pay their employees a minimum of $18.29 per hour.
Employers who do not meet these requirements must adhere to the state minimum wage.
Seattle
The city of Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards (OLS) announced its 2024 minimum wage on Oct. 16.
As of Jan. 1, 2024, the minimum wage in Seattle increased to:
- $19.97/hour – Large employers (501 or more employees)
- $19.97/hour – Small employers (500 or fewer employees) who do not pay at least $2.72/hour toward the employee’s medical benefits and/or where the employee does not earn at least $2.72/hour in tips.
- $17.25/hour – Small employers who do pay at least $2.72/hour toward the employee’s medical benefits and/or where the employee does earn at least $2.72/hour in tips.
SeaTac
The city of SeaTac announced its 2024 minimum wage on Oct. 6. As of Jan. 1, 2024, the new minimum wage in SeaTac increased to $19.71 for employees who work in the transportation and hospitality industries.
Tukwila
Large employers with more than 500 employees in Tukwila must pay $20.29 starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Mid-sized employers with between 15 and 499 employees must pay $18.29 starting Jan. 1, 2024, and $19.29 starting July 1, 2024.
Employers with fewer than 15 employees that make less than $2 million in annual revenue are not subject to these new wages, but must pay the state minimum wage of $16.28 per hour.
*** New for 2025***
For 2025, small employers with up 50 employees must pay overtime exempt workers at least 2 times the minimum wage. That means an exempt employee will have to earn at least $1,332.80 a week ($69,305.60 a year). For large employers, with 51 or more employees, overtime exempt workers must make at least 2.25 times the minimum wage. That means an exempt employee for one of these larger employers must earn at least $1,499.40 a week ($77,968.80 a year).
***
The 2024 overtime threshold is two times the minimum wage. That means an exempt employee will have to earn at least $1,302.40 a week ($67,724.80 a year).
As of July 1, 2020, Washington state implemented new laws for salaried employees: depending on how much they make, they are entitled to overtime for any hours worked more than 40 hours a week.
There is an eight-year implementation schedule that incrementally raises the multiplier until it reaches 2.5 times the minimum wage in 2028. The pace of the increase is based on the size of the employer.
You can download this schedule here. (NOTE: The following salary threshold schedule was published in 2023. An updated overtime threshold schedule for 2025 is expected to be published soon.)
The 2024 minimum salary for exempt employees working for all employers is two times the minimum wage. That means an employee exempt from overtime pay must earn at least $1,302.40 a week ($67,724.80 a year).
Most employees who work more than 40 hours in a seven-day workweek must be paid overtime. Overtime pay must be at least 1.5 times the employee’s regular hourly rate. Other overtime rates, like double-time pay are not required under Washington state law.
Use this tool to estimate a budget for the overtime cost if an employee is classified as non-exempt.
Employees cannot waive their right to overtime pay.
- Employers must pay overtime to eligible workers regardless of the employer’s size.
- Employers can mandate overtime work.
- Collective bargaining agreements and employers can provide overtime pay more generous than Washington law requires.
Private employers are not allowed to enter “comp time” agreements with employees where employees are eligible for additional paid time off in lieu of paying overtime.
If you would like to attend a webinar from L&I in which you will learn about the overtime rules, including the job duties tests for each exemption category, click here and choose “White-collar overtime exemptions” from the drop-down menu under “Events.”
Overtime exempt employees
In 2020 L&I updated Washington’s overtime rules which apply to “white collar” positions held by executive, administrative, and professional workers, plus computer professionals and outside salespeople.
A worker must earn at least the minimum salary, and their duties must meet a job duties test to be exempt from earning overtime. The minimum salaries are a multiplier of the minimum wage.
A worker is judged non-exempt by job duties, not a job title or description. Their duties determine whether a job primarily involves executive, administrative, professional, computer professional, or outside sales duties as defined in the rules.
- Employers may convert salaried employees to hourly and pay them overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week.
- They may also choose to leave them as salaried employees and pay them overtime when they work more than 40 hours a week.
- They can also choose to maintain the employee’s status as a salaried employee and limit their hours to just 40.
Is my employee exempt?
An employee meets the executive exemption if they have a primary duty of managing the business or a department or subdivision of the business. They also customarily direct the work of two or more employees. They also have the authority to hire, fire or promote employees or their recommendations about hiring, firing and promoting holds a particular weight. They are paid on a salary basis and the amount they are paid is equal to or greater than the salary threshold.
An employee meets the administrative exemption if they perform non-manual work, and their duties are related to managing or operating a business or the business of their employer’s customers. They have decision-making authority about important matters. They are paid on a salary basis and the amount they are paid is equal to or greater than the salary threshold.
An employee meets the learned professional exemption when their job requires advanced knowledge in an intellectual field and has received lengthy certified instruction, such as a graduate degree. They consistently use discretion and judgement in performing their duties. A creative professional employee does work that is creative or artistic. It requires invention, originality or talent. These two employees must be paid on a salary basis and are paid as much or more than the salary threshold.
For an in-depth learning tool for this information, click here.
Other resources
L&I has a very robust site with many resources about the overtime threshold. Find everything you need here.
Attorneys from Miller Nash, a law firm that is part of the Washington Hospitality Association’s Advisory Network, presented a webinar about all the new and changing laws for 2023.
As of Jan. 1, 2023, employers with 15 or more employees are required to include salary and benefits information in job postings.
Employment law attorney and association allied member Catharine Morisset co-authored an excellent post with Dean Petitta about this new requirement. They explain the details within the new law, highlight the differences between external and internal job posting and provide a three-step plan employers can follow.
Catharine also hosted a webinar on Washington’s new job posting requirements. In case you missed it, head over to the members only site to get a full recap of Catharine’s presentation.
Long Beach’s hotel worker minimum wage measure has narrow majority, new election results show
(March 6, 2024)
Long Beach Measure RW ballot initiative — which would increase the minimum wage for certain hotel workers to $23 per hour — was clinging to approval after additional vote tallies were released on Wednesday afternoon, March 6.
About 50.63% of voters were in favor of Measure RW, according to the first post-election day update, which the Los Angeles County registrar’s office released around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The registrar’s office previously released its semi-official results around 2 a.m. Wednesday.